The present invention relates to a vehicle seat with a load sensor for measuring a weight of an occupant.
Applicant has previously proposed a vehicle seat comprising a frame-like seat cushion frame configured to receive a load from the occupant and load sensors configured to receive the load from the occupant through the seat cushion frame (see JP 2010-269794 A, disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety). To be more specific, the seat cushion frame in this vehicle seat comprises a pair of side frames extending in a front-rear direction, a pair of patch members each disposed at a laterally inner side of a corresponding side frame, a connecting pipe connecting rear end portions of the side frames and the patch members, and a connecting member having a substantially U-shaped cross section and connecting front end portions of the side frames and the patch members.
Each of the aforementioned patch members is formed to have a substantially U-shaped cross section which opens upward. The load sensors are provided at both end portions of the two patch members. Each load sensor includes a rod for receiving a load, and the rod of each load sensor is attached to an end portion of a bottom wall of each patch member. The connecting pipe is provided to pierce through rear end portions of sidewalls of each patch member. In a front end portion of each patch member, the bottom wall extends frontward farther than the sidewalls and is connected to an undersurface of the connecting member.
However, with this configuration which is required to have the sidewalls elongated to the position of the connecting pipe so that the connecting pipe is pierced through the sidewalls of the patch member. This would result in undesirable upsizing of the patch member (by the elongated lengths of the sidewalls). Moreover, the above-described configuration provides a frontwardly (and horizontally) elongated portion in the bottom wall, and only that frontwardly elongated portion of the bottom wall is connected to the underside of the connecting member; thus, it would be considered desirable to provide an improved configuration which can more stably support the connecting member by the patch member.
With this in view, there is a need for improvement in the configuration of a frame to which a load sensor is attached such that a vehicle seat can be downsized and the connecting member can be supported with increased stability.